Appendix:Effort Values

Effort Values, also known as EVs in abbreviation, are attributes which give bonuses to a Pokémon's base stats, depending on the Pokémon they defeat. Effort Values are extremely important in competitive Pokémon battling, as they help trainers improve their Pokémon's performance in battle.

In the past generations of core series Pokémon games, Effort Values were hidden values which players could only get a vague idea through the difference of stats. From Pokémon X and Y onward though, the "Effort-O-Meter" is introduced to display the Effort Value distribution of players' Pokémon graphically. The Meter is implemented on Pokémon Brick Bronze as well.

Earning Effort Values
Effort Values are earned by defeating Pokémon, whether it is from a wild encounter or from a Trainer Battle. From the core game series Pokémon X and Y onward, catching Pokémon also gives players Effort Values as well. It is gained along with experience points, so Pokémon which did not participate in battle will not gain EVs, unless the player has turned on the key item Exp. Share. Each Pokémon has different types and quantities of EVs, so the player must be careful in selecting which Pokémon to defeat if he or she wants to optimize a stat.

For example:

Lillipup on Route 8 offers 1 Physical Attack EV upon defeat, but Oddish -- another Pokémon on Route 8, offers 1 Special Attack EV instead. Most Pokémon give out EVs in their strongest stat. Additionally, some Pokémon offer more than one EV of a type:

Herdier -- the evolved form of Lillipup, offers 2 Physical Attack EVs when beaten. Pinsir and Heracross, despite having no evolution, offer 2 Physical Attack EVs when defeated as well. Usually evolved forms of Pokémon, including final forms of double-stage Pokémon, provide 2 Effort Values upon defeat, while final forms of triple-stage Pokémon give out 3 EVs in total. Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, as well as some single-stage Pokémon which have stats rivalling fully-evolved Pokémon, also offer greater amounts of Effort Values. However, there are some Pokémon offering EVs for multiple stats when defeated:

EV Training
EV Training is the process in which a Pokémon Trainer defeats a specific group of Pokémon in order to increase certain stats of his or her own Pokémon. It is considered to be one of the most important processes in creating competitive Pokémon, aside from Breeding. This is because Effort Values can drastically improve a Pokémon's performance compared to a non-EV Trained Pokémon. Investing EVs can also allow a Pokémon to pull off different roles aside from what their base stats say.



How to see Effort Values
Effort Values can be seen by using the "Effort-O-Meter" which displays the amount of Effort Values invested in a graph, allowing it to visualize the progress. All players can see this "Effort-O-Meter" by clicking the hexagon in the middle of Pokémon Summary interface, without paying anything. However, it does not show the specific number of EVs invested for their Pokémon, making it a problem to track how much EVs the players' Pokémon need without calculations.

For more competitive players who have sufficient Robux on hand, they can purchase the Advanced Stat Viewer Gamepass for 50 Robux, which allows them to see the number of EVs they have invested in all stats. In addition, it also displays the number of Individual Values a Pokémon has, which is another important aspect of competitive Pokémon battling.

The current maximum amount of Effort Values invested into a single stat is 252, and the maximum amount of Effort Values a Pokémon can receive overall is 510, which means only 2 stats out of all 6 can be maximized.

Before Starting
Although EV Training can be extremely beneficial for players' Pokémon, it can also be extremely tedious and monotonous. Therefore, before starting the arduous journey, players should make a plan on how to EV Train their Pokémon before putting their time and energy into it.

Here are some questions to think about:
 * 1) What will the Pokémon being trained do for the team?
 * 2) What EVs should be invested in order for the Pokémon to do this role?
 * 3) Where to go in order to get these EVs?
 * 4) How many EVs are needed?

Each Pokémon usually have some base stats that are extremely good, in which it is recommended to invest in them in order to make them as powerful, tanky, or as speedy as possible. Although, how to distribute those Effort Values is up to the player.

Increasing EV Yields
There are many ways to increase the amount of EVs collected from a Pokémon. Although any Pokémon participated in battle (or, any Pokémon in party if Exp. Share is on) will gain Effort Values from the opponent, it is highly recommended to find ways to increase yields in order to make EV Training easier and less monotonous.

One way to increase yields is through the Macho Brace, a held item that can be equipped on a Pokémon to double the Effort Value acquired, at the cost of halving the Pokémon's speed. This can be bought at the Battle Colosseum for 120 BP. Another set of held items are the Power item series, consisting of Power Weight, Bracer, Belt, Lens, Band and Anklet, having the effect of adding 4 EVs to their corresponding stats after gaining experience, again at the cost of having the Pokémon's speed until the item is removed. However, the Power items are currently not available.

Additionally, players who are rich on Robux can buy EV Ro-Powers to double or triple the Effort Value yields. The 2x EV RO-Power costs 15 Robux while the 3x EV Ro-Power costs 25 Robux. Unlike the Macho Brace, it can affect all Pokémon in party, and without halving the Pokémon's speed, making it useful to train multiple Pokémon at once. However, it only lasts for an hour and costs Robux, whereas the Macho Brace can be used forever.

The Macho Brace and the EV Ro-Powers stack, which means players can potentially train multiple Pokémon extremely quickly.

How to Rematch Trainers
Trainers are usually the best way to EV Train, since they provide an easy source of EVs, EXP and in-game money. However, some Trainers may not be able to be battled again after being defeated for the first time. The Wikia provides a helpful way to identify Trainers that can be battled again through the * symbol, making it easy for players to keep battling them. Despite this, players must know how to be able to rematch Trainers easily in order to reap the benefits. There are three easy ways for players to be able to rematch Trainers:

Note: It is highly recommended to manually save the game after each battle before leaving the game, to prevent losing all progress during that time.

Leaving the Area
One way for players to rematch Trainers is by simply leaving the area and coming back to it. However, players must pass through a gate to the next area before the Trainer can be battled again. If the player fails to pass through a gate that connects the two areas, all Trainers that have been battled in the previous area will not be available for rematch. In addition, while it is quite easy to leave the area to rematch Trainers, it can also be troublesome if the Trainer in question is far away from the gates or a large patch of tall grass is blocking the player's path.

Rejoining the Game
Another way for players to rematch Trainers is by leaving the game itself and rejoining. However, it can also be somewhat tedious, as the player has to keep restarting the game after saving and leaving in order to battle Trainers again, and reloading the games is rather time-consuming. On the upside, once the player restarts the game again, they will always respawn back where the player saved.

Player Search
The final way for players to rematch Trainers is by using the Player Search. The Player Search is the most efficient way for players to keep battling Trainers for EV Training, as the player can simultaneously save the game and be able to rematch Trainers again and again. All the player needs to do is open the RTD, choose "Player Search" and click the "Join" button next to player's friends who are listed as in "Adventure" mode. Entering any name that is in the server with them and clicking "Join" also works. Although it is extremely efficient, the Player Search only works if the RTD has a good signal, which means that it will fail if the player is far away from a town or a Pokémon Center.

Hotspots
Hotspots are some ideal places or trainers the Wikia has recommended for gaining specific EVs efficiently:

HP
Due to the fact that there are no Trainers or places where there are a majority of wild Pokémon that give HP EVs, it is currently one of the hardest Effort Values for players to train Pokémon with. However, there are places where players can earn HP EVs with.

The tall grass on Rosecove Beach is currently the best place to train for HP EVs, as Slowpoke and Shellos, Pokémon that give out 1 HP EV, are extremely common and can be defeated quite easily.

Physical Attack
Worker Deven, at the end of Cragonos Mines, is the best Trainer for Attack EVs, as he gives 6 Attack EVs in total. While it is difficult to get to him due to the high spawn rates inside the Cragonos Mines, this can be easily mitigated through the use of a Repel. Additionally, players can use the Player Search function to keep battling him again without even moving at all. His entire team consists of Fighting-type Pokémon, so it is recommended to use Psychic-type or Flying-type Pokémon in order to easily defeat him, while Ghost-type Pokémon can also help in shutting down his Pokémon's Fighting-type attacks. However, Flying-type Pokémon are advised to watch out for Rock Slide, which hits them super effectively and covers the Flying-type weakness of Deven's Pokémon.

Alternatively, Gentleman Nolan on Route 8 gives 6 Attack EVs in total, tying with Worker Deven. However, his last Pokémon Delcatty provides 1 HP and 1 Speed EVs, which means that players need HP or Speed Resets from the Battle Colosseum in order to remove unwanted EVs, or bring some other Pokémon that can use some HP and Speed EVs to defeat his Delcatty. In addition, he is too far away from any Pokémon Center for the Player Search to work, making it even more tedious for players to battle him again. Despite this, he provides the most in-game money for rematchable Trainers, so he is a decent alternative for Worker Deven if players need the money.

Physical Defense
Hiker Jackson, located on Cragonos Cliffs, is currently the best trainer for Defense EVs, as he offers 6 Defense EVs upon defeat. While Hiker Anson on Route 8 also gives out the same amount of Effort Values, he is much easier to train with when the player has reached Cragonos Cliffs. This is because there is a Pokémon Center nearby, which allows players to heal up their teams and restock on Potions, while also enabling the use of Player Search function on RTD to keep saving and battling him again, whereas players would be forced to save and leave the game or area before they are able to have a rematch with Hiker Anson. In addition, players can also enter Cragonos Mines briefly when on the way to heal their Pokémon, to enable rematches quickly.

Regardless of which one to fight though, it is highly recommended to bring along Pokémon that have access to multi-hit moves like Bullet Seed in order to get past Sturdy, an ability that prevents instant knockout. Additionally, players need to be wary of Self-Destruct, a move that can severely damage a Pokémon unless they resist or are immune to it.

Special Attack
Hiker Darrel in Mt. Igneus is currently the best Trainer for Special Attack EVs, as he gives 3 Sp. Atk EVs in total. However, the Player Search function does not work near him, so players are forced to either save and leave the game or area. Luckily, half of the wild Pokémon in the volcano give out Sp. Atk EVs. In addition, Heatmor, an uncommon Pokémon, gives out 2 Special Attack EVs, so players benefit more by staying around in order to encounter these wild Pokémon.

Special Defense
While there are no Trainers that mainly give out Special Defense EVs as of yet, there are places where players can go to quickly earn them.

The Flower Garden on Route 10 is considered to be the best place for Special Defense EVs, as Hoppip and Spoink appear quite commonly and give out 1 Sp. Def EV upon defeat. In addition, an uncommon Pokémon, Floette, gives out 2 Sp. Def EVs.

The combination of these three Pokémon can allow players to literally achieve the maximum amount within a couple of hours or so, depending on boosts.

Speed
Camper Pal on Route 9 is currently the best Trainer for players to earn Speed EVs, as he gives 5 Speed EVs in total. In addition, he is located near the Grove of Dreams gate, which means players can quickly leave Route 9 and rematch him again. The Player Search function also works near him, so players don't even need to move in order to battle him again. However, players are advised to watch out for his Grovyle's Pursuit, especially with Ghost-type and Psychic-type Pokémon, as they will take massive damage from it.

To avoid the problem induced by Pursuit, players can also ask Beach Babe Samantha on the Battle Pier of Rosecove Beach for rematches. Her party consists of the Staryu family, giving out a total of 4 Speed EVs. While Electric-type and Grass-type attacks are supposed to make short work of her team, both of her Staryu have access to Camouflage to change their types according to the environment -- in this case, from Water to Normal, which gets rid of both weaknesses to the afore-mentioned types, and also makes their Swift hit for more damage.

Trivia

 * In previous generations, the maximum amount of Effort Values in a single stat was 255. In Pokémon X and Y, it was changed to 252.
 * However, since stats only increase for every 4 EVs, the bonuses gained are identical.